


Midnight Society

by Tashilover



Series: Linked Universe [11]
Category: Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda) - Fandom, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Linked Universe, spooky tales to tell in the dark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-18
Updated: 2020-09-30
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:47:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 9,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22298071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tashilover/pseuds/Tashilover
Summary: The group tells spooky stories to pass the time.A Linked Universe fic.edit: 1000 kudos! Thank you!!
Series: Linked Universe [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1258721
Comments: 304
Kudos: 1227





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> These will be simple little things, nothing too horrific. Just for funsies.
> 
> Read the rest of the comics at https://linkeduniverse.tumblr.com/

"Tell me your spookiest moments."

Warrior held up a hand, halting Time from speaking and said, "Oh, we all know about _your_ adventures, Old man. But I'm not talking about monsters like Redeads or Gibdos. Have any of you guys come across something you can't explain?"

Sky shrugged. "What do you mean?"

"C'mon, we've all traveled far and wide. Some more than others. Surely one of you must've come across something that even spooks a hero."

"You want a ghost story?" Legend asked, smirking.

"It's certainly the atmosphere for it."

The heroes sat around the fire pit, still finishing off the last of their dinner. According to Wild's thingy-majingy, the skies were going to be cloudy for the rest of the night and the air cool. They were surrounded by a thick veil of trees, and though it was dark, it was still too early to go to bed. The wind blew, ratting the branches of the trees, making the heroes shiver in their spot.

For a long minute no one said anything. The only noises to be heard was Wind still scooping the last of his dish with a piece of bread.

"Seriously?" Warriors scoffed. "No one?"

"I've got one," said Wild. "It freaked me out when it happened but it's not exactly a ghost story."

"I'll take anything. Give me your best shot."

"Well..." Wild started as he put aside his nearly-empty food bowl. "I was climbing up the side of a mountain when it began to rain. Now, I can climb in the rain but it's very taxing and I could easily slip. So I decide to find a decent hold and keep my position, hoping to wait out the rain."

"That doesn't sound practical," said Twilight, already disapproving.

"It was the best I could do at the moment," said Wild. "So I hold. And hold. A moment later, I hear someone climbing up the mountain a couple of feet to my right."

"A monster?" Hyrule asked.

"The rain was too hard to tell, but the outline of the body looked human. I see them climbing, finding one foothold after another. I could even hear them grunting in effort. And just as they get level to me... they lose their grip. They fall."

"Oh no! Did they die?"

"Dunno. I unhooked from my climbing gear and dove after them, knowing there was nothing I could do. I was thinking... Maybe I could ease their suffering or give them a proper funeral. But as soon as I get to ground level-"

"Let me guess," said Warriors. "The body was gone?"

"You got it. Looked around, made sure the body didn't land somewhere else. Found nothing. After a while I just assumed what I saw was a mirage, an image brought on by the rain and my exhaustion. I spent the rest of the night under a tree, waiting for the rain to stop before climbing again."

"Interesting. A bit alarming, but not very spooky."

Wild leveled him with a look. "I'm not done yet."

"Oh?" Warriors said, leaning in close. "Go on."

"So morning comes. Rain finally stops. I start climbing again. This time it's easier because I already know where my holds and clips are. But as soon as I get to the same spot I was the night before, I hear someone climbing. I look... and it's _me_."

_"What?"_

"They're at least thirty feet away, a good distance to confuse anyone, but it was me. Same clothes, same hairstyle, same exact scars. Just when I think this was a mirror clone, a monster made to copy my every move... my double turns to look at me. He smiles. Then lets go of his hold. This time there's no rain to confuse me and I watch him hit the ground below me with a horrible crunch, the same smile still plastered on his face. Thoroughly spooked, I climb the rest of the way as quickly as I could. Once I get to the top I look back down to see the body missing again. I have never gone back to that mountain since."

"That's really creepy," said Sky. "Any idea what it was?"

"None," said Wild. He reached down and picked up his bowl. "Does anyone else have a story to tell?"


	2. Chapter 2

"I have one," said Wind.

Warriors clapped his hands together and whooped. "Hell yeah! Give it to me, I already know it's good!"

Wild made an incredulous face at him. "You didn't react that way when I told my story."

"Sailors always have the _best_ stories," Warriors said. "Giant squids, mermaids, strange lights, buried treasure...! What else is better?"

Wind blushed lightly. He shrugged and said, "Actually this happened before I started my hero journey."

"Wha...? So it's not even out at sea?"

"No, it happened back at home. I was about... eight? We were issued reports of a hurricane hitting the island within a week's time. The entire village spent that week preparing for it. I may have been just a little kid back then, but I helped out with boarding up windows and gathering materials."

"You're still a little kid," Legend said, smirking.

"And I'm still taller than you."

That wiped the smirk off Legend's face.

"Anyways," Wind continued. "On the day of we could see the hurricane coming from the shore. Thick black clouds were forming quickly. Sudden strong gusts of wind blew forgotten laundry from the clotheslines. Our smaller boats in the marina turned over. Granma and Aryll already had retreated back inside our home for safety. As the man of the house-"

Wind puffed out his chest proudly.

"-I promised a couple of neighbors to wrangle in their pigs. Don't give me that look, I had plenty of time to get back to the house. I was never in danger of getting trapped outside."

Warriors crossed his arms and huffed. "So no giant squids, no tornadoes, no danger from the hurricane. Not spooked yet."

"You're impatient," said Twilight. "Give him time to set up."

"Hmph."

"It started to rain lightly," Wind said. "I was done helping the neighbors so I ran back to the house. I was climbing the stairs when I heard someone calling my name. I stopped, looked around, saw no one. Everyone had already retreated inside. Thought it was just the howling wind and my imagination. I turned back around... and staring up at me from between the gaps of the stairs was an old man."

Everyone turned to look at Time.

"No," said Wind with a roll of his eyes. "This man must've been in his seventies or eighties. He had loose skin, spots on his cheeks, and the few strands of hair he had were pitch white. And he was just... underneath my porch stairs like he lived there."

"I'll admit that's a bit unsettling," said Warriors. "But was he just someone's grandfather with dementia?"

"I know everyone on the island. We've had no tourists in a week due to the coming hurricane. Whoever this was, he was not local. When I noticed him, I nearly screamed. I jumped away, and he pushed his face out even more, his loose skin getting caught. Then he spoke."

Wind gave his tone a raspy wail, imitating the old man's voice.

 _"Hello child._ _I see you're coming home after a long day of work._ Granma taught me to be polite to everyone. So even though he was some random guy underneath my house, I said to him, 'hello sir, how are you?'

_I'm doing well, thank you for asking. Oh, a big storm is coming._

'Yes sir.'

_Yes, yes. A big one, no doubt. I wonder... will you help a kind old man with something?_

'Sure, whatever you need.'

 _Come closer... I want to whisper it to you in your ear._ "

Everyone shivered in response.

"That's when it started to rain really hard," said Wind. "Thunder began to crack, lightening was coming closer. If I didn't get inside soon, Granma and Aryll would think I was stuck somewhere. So I said to the old man, 'I'm sorry, but I need to go inside. It's probably best if you go home as well."

He said, _this is my home. I live down here. Would you like to come see?"_

"Nope!" Sky feverishly shook his head. "Nope, nope, nope, nope!"

"And before I could answer him," Wind said. "Granma opened the front door, grabbing my attention. She told me to get inside. And when I looked back to where the old man was, he was gone. The next morning when the hurricane had passed, I looked underneath the porch to see if he was still there. I never found any evidence anyone was there. I never saw him again."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> according to Jojo's height charts, Legend is taller by about two inches. Still, it was too funny of a joke to pass up


	3. Chapter 3

There was a pause in the stories as everyone helped clean up from dinner. The pots were washed in a nearby river and put away. Epona was fed a good helping of oats and sweet apples. Wild decided to make tea.

He held up two bottles. "Who wants honey or milk?"

The majority took milk. As Wild poured cool Lon Lon milk into each cup, Twilight said, "This reminds me of an experience I once had."

"More stories? Yes!" Warriors said. He gave a quick thanks to Wild for the honey and he settled down, stirring his tea contently. "Please, continue."

"Well... like Wind, my story happened about two years before my adventures began. It was early Spring. So the air was still cold, the flowers hadn't bloomed yet. But it was just warm enough to allow the animals to roam free. I don't know if you guys ever seen farm animals released after Winter. They're like puppies, they jump and yell and dash around happily. It's quite an amazing scene."

Only Time lifted his cup in acknowledgement. Everyone else just shrugged.

"Anyways," Twilight continued. "It's hard to get the animals back inside once they've tasted freedom. It still gets cold by the mid-afternoon so we have to wrangle them back inside. A lot of them protest, forcing us to chase them, drag them back inside if we have to. Sometimes they even break out of their pens. Can't tell ya how often I'm awaken in the middle of the night just to wrangle an animal back inside."

"Ah, farm life," said Warriors dreamily. "So glad I don't have to deal with it."

"So one night," Twilight said. "I hear the ordon goats break out. I'm really annoyed because I was in the middle of dinner and had already put away my tools and work clothes. I get up, get dressed and go out. I spend the next hour dragging them back in. Just as I'm about to get back into my warm house and eat my cold dinner, my neighbor told me one more goat was still out, wandering on the far side of the field."

"Why not leave the animal be?" Sky asked. "If it's on the farm, surely a little cold air won't hurt them."

"Oh, you have to understand, ordon goats are bred to be eaten. So they're not exactly... er, smart. The things I've seen them get into... If I left that goat be, it'll probably climb over a fence and walk itself right off a cliff. By the time I hear about the last goat, it was super dark. I had to bring a oil lamp with me. I start trekking across the field, looking for this goat. I was seriously contemplating just letting the damn animal be, but I'm a good farmer, so I keep going. Finally I see the damn goat. Right there on the edge of the field, trying to climb over the fence as predicted."

Twilight paused to take a sip of tea.

"I called out to the goat. _Hey you, you darn animal! Get back over here! You're going to get yourself hurt!_ I grabbed my rope from my belt. I threw it, hooked it around the goat's horns. I pulled it back, forcing the goat off the fence. _C'mon, get back here! Let's get back to the farm! Get-!_ I stopped. And then I dropped the rope, grabbed my lamp and I turned and ran back to the farm as fast as I could."

Warriors frowned "Why? What happened? Did you realize you stepped in poop?"

"No," said Twilight. "While I was tugging, the goat turned around towards me. And it had... a human face."

Time choked.

"Holy shit," Warriors breathed.

"My reaction exactly," said Twilight. "It looked like it was wearing a mask, but it was _skin_ fused onto its body. It had a nose, a mouth, eyebrows, I could even see human _t_ _eeth_ from beneath its lips. He... _it_ looked like a fifty year old man, pale with sagging skin, a morose expression on its face. The moment I saw it, I knew I was in no position to handle it so I took off. Didn't bother to look back. The next morning I went out with a couple of my neighbors. All we found was a broken fence and hoof prints telling us the goat escaped. I didn't bother to chase after it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Animals excited for freedom after winter is a real thing. proof: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uA8dAnlD51o


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mmmwafflesart made fanart for this chapter! Be sure to check out Hyrule's "oh fuck no!" face! https://mmmwafflesart.tumblr.com/post/632921516603015168/i-made-sure-to-keep-an-eye-on-him-while-i#notes

"Question," Legend said. "If you ate that goat, would it be considered cannibalism?"

His grin grew wide as the entire group threw their heads back and groaned. Even Wild, who tried to eat a rotting fish last week, made a face of disgust.

As the groaning slowly died down, Hyrule quietly raised his hand high into the air.

"This isn't school," Warriors said dryly. "You don't need to wait to be called upon."

Hyrule lowered his arm, a slight blush appearing on his cheeks. "I was just being polite. But I have a story I want to tell."

"Go ahead. I think we're all pretty invested at this point, we might as well go down the line."

"Well... I don't know how scary it is compared to you guys'. This happened a couple of years ago. I was walking through a forest. I wasn't on any particular quest at the moment, just traveling, so I was taking my time. Even though I was on a major road, I barely came across anyone. A few carriages, the occasional merchant, but mostly I was alone."

"You? On a well known traveled road?" Legend said in a mock offended voice. "Blasphemous."

"Heh. Yeah. My boots were wearing thin at that point and I didn't want to risk getting stuck somewhere with a broken sole. I can handle anything... except bad feet."

"Hear hear," Wild said, saluting him with his tea cup.

"So it was the late afternoon. The sun was near setting and the thickness of the forest made the world around me look dark. Usually I would set up camp, but I was nearly to the next down so I kept going. And then... off in the distance, I see a man in the middle of the road."

"Is he hurt?" Sky asked.

"No. He's just... standing there. Now I want you to imagine how big the road is. It's a nice well-trodden road, about thirty feet wide. Plenty of room so travelers are not forced off if a carriage comes by. And it's a straight shot- if you stood right in the middle, the path disappears into the distance. Surrounding the road were thick, tall trees. Some of the tallest I've seen in my life. Besides the man, there's no one else in front of me, and no one else behind me as far as the eye could see."

"Not a great scenario to be in," said Warriors. "A road isolated like that is bound to be filled with highway men."

"I agree, but what other choice did I have? I was already too far to go back. So I continued walking, taking care to observe the forest around me, making sure I wasn't about to be sprung upon. And the man? He kept standing there. His back was to me, so I couldn't see his face. He was taller than me. Had short hair. Wore simple clothing. He didn't carry any bags or weapons. His arms were still at his side. As I got closer, I began to wonder if he was just... observing the birds or something. Just to make sure I wasn't about to startle him, I said something casual like, _nice weather we're having!"_

Legend snorted. "You're being polite to the highway man?"

"It never hurts to be polite," said Hyrule, huffing. "But the man didn't respond. When I got closer, I made sure to give him a wide berth. I walked on the farthest end of the road. And just as I was about to pass him and see his face... he turned, now facing towards the forest. He then turned again, a quick ninety degrees, now looking in the direction of the road behind me. It was if he was determined not to let me see his face. Strange, but no highway men came. Nothing but birds noises came from the forest. Just to be sure he wasn't hurt, I asked him, _Sir, are you okay?_ He said nothing."

"Ugh, that's creepy," said Wind.

"I made sure to keep an eye on him while I continued down the path. Twenty feet. Thirty feet. Then at fifty, I tore my gaze away to focus on where I was going. I was determined to get to the next town and forget about this weird encounter. I only took a couple of steps when suddenly I heard a shout from behind me. _HEY!_ And I turned to look... and I see the man now running right at me at full sprint. But he was still facing the road! I'll admit I didn't react right away because I was impressed he could run so fast backwards. And then I noticed it. His knees were facing the wrong way. So were his arms. His elbows were pointing in two different directions, and when he ran they flopped around like he couldn't control them. He screamed out, _WAIT FOR ME!"_

"Did you wait for him?"

"Heck no! I ran for it! I didn't look behind me again until I got into the next village! The Backwards Man didn't follow. Later on I asked around, maybe the locals knew something. Nobody did. I left the town the next day with new boots and this time I took the road least traveled."


	5. Chapter 5

"So what about you, Old Man?" Warriors said to Time. "I know you got something good. Why don't you-"

"Hey," Twilight interrupted. "I think it's your turn now."

"Me?"

"Yes. You're the one who started this. I think it's only fair you give us a tale now."

There was a round of agreements.

Warriors crossed his arms. "Well now, see, that's a problem. I don't really have one. I didn't spend my hero's journey in forests or out in the middle of nowhere. I've always been surrounded by people, by strong men and women capable of holding their own against human-goats and backwards men. I grew up in Castle Town, and spent my childhood on busy streets and large populations. I've rarely been alone."

"Surely you have something," said Sky. "You have been to a lot of places other than Hyrule."

"Yeah, but I don't think-"

He stopped. Frowned.

"Thought of something?" Legend asked.

"Yeah," Warriors said. He sighed, ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah, I did. I can't believe I forgot about it."

Time spoke up. "If it's something traumatic from the wars you've fought, you don't need to-"

"Oh no, it's not that! It's just... my story isn't scary, but mysterious. To this day I have no explanation."

"Well, if you're willing to share we'd like to hear it."

"Yeah, alright." Warriors put aside his teacup and sat up straighter. He began. "My tale happened many years ago, back when I was a much younger knight. We had gotten word a horde of monsters was slowly making their way north. My job was to evacuate local towns and villages so they wouldn't get caught up in the resulting fight. I don't if you guys ever tried to evacuate a town before, but it takes _days_ to do. People don't want to leave and they put up a fight. They debate what to bring and what to leave behind. Many are incapable of walking on their own so we have to find a way to transfer them. So on and so forth."

"Incredible," said Hyrule. "How often did you do this?"

"Quite a few times. It never gets easy, no matter how often I've done it. Every mission brings new challenges. The town I was ordered to evacuate was a place called Weston. Small place, only a population of a little over two hundred people. Farming community. We have three days to evacuate this place before the monster horde gets to it. I'm given command of a group of men and we go march towards the town. We send messages through hawks beforehand to inform them we're coming. We don't get a response back. Strange but not an unusual thing to be worried about. After a day of travel we get there. We enter the town's limits and we see... nothing. Nobody. The entire place was deserted. No people. No animals."

He shrugged.

"At first I was upset. We marched all the way here, wasted time and energy, only to find out they had already evacuated? But I guess it made my job easier. I told my men we could set up camp and rest for the day and then move out in the morning. As we walked in further, looking for a good spot to hunker down at, I began to realize something was off. I told everyone to stop moving."

"Ambush?" Time asked.

"No," said Warriors. "I noticed... there were no footprints on the ground. No hoof prints. Remember what I said about it being chaos to evacuate a town? If this town did evacuate, then where's all the evidence they left? There was no debris, no animal shit, no indentation of carriage wheels, _nothing_. The road was pristine like nobody had ever walked on it before.

Immediately all my warning bells went off. I told my men to be on guard and search for life. Something happened to this town and I wanted to know what. I sent one team to search one side while my team searched the other.

The questions only piled on from there. I entered one building and found gold rupees sitting on a table. Out there in the open for anyone to see! Who leaves gold behind? We entered another building and found food on the table, on the stoves, left in pots to _rot_. Traveling bags were still hanging on hooks by the door. Entire wardrobes left in closets and drawers. We went into the stables and found no animals, but their harnesses and leashes were still there. Went into the local church, and found all the wine and money reserves untouched.

We then began to wonder if these people were forced out of their homes by monsters. But where's the chaos? There's no blood, no broken weapons, no signs of a fight ever occurred. The entire town just fucking _vanished_ into thin air. And then... I hear one of my men calling for me. I go out and I see he's frantic.

 _Sir_ , he said. _We found something out in the fields. It's the most goddamn thing I've ever seen."_

"The villagers?" Wild asked quietly.

"I asked that exact question. My soldier shook his head and said, _no, we found clothes_. Now I had no idea what he meant by that so I followed. He lead me out of the town and into the farming fields. And there, in the dirt fields... laid out in perfect straight rows, were the villagers' clothes. They weren't hanging to dry, but flat on the ground, like _bodies_. There were dresses with shawls still around them. Suits that had handkerchiefs in their pockets or belts buckled around the waist. Perfectly shined shoes. And even children's clothing were there, sitting next to the adults. Set up as if on display. There were two hundred and fifteen articles of clothing. The same number of the town's population. We didn't know what this was. A joke? A message? Setting the clothes up like that would've taken _hours_ , yet we still found no footprints. Everyone was just... gone."

Sky frowned. "You never found them?"

"Never. We searched the area to be sure. We stayed the night to rest, but nobody slept. I didn't blame them. The next morning we left to join the rest of the army, and last I heard, that town was destroyed in the ensuing fight."


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: grossness

"What about you, little man?" Warriors asked, directing his question towards Four. "You've been awfully quiet this entire time."

Four hunched slightly as the entire group turned their attention towards him. "I do have a story... but it's kinda unsettling. And we just ate, so I'm not sure if it's appropriate."

"We're heroes. I doubt any story will make us sick to our stomachs. C'mon, give it to us."

There was a round of agreements.

"Alright," Four said. "Um... okay, so this happened a few years ago. I was traveling. Now I don't like to travel far because thanks to my small height, highway men see me as an easy target. Can't tell you how often people have tried to rob me. So I either have to pay extra for a carriage ride or simply deal with having to battle every time I step out onto the road. And on this one particular day, I got sick of it. I was tired of getting my knuckles bloody, tired of having to waste so much time on idiots. So I decided... to go off road."

Both Wild and Hyrule hooted in agreement.

"Yes, yes, it's an achievement. I wasn't planning a long trip. Perhaps just a couple of hours of walking. Unfortunately I overestimated my route and my time. I may have managed to avoid highway men, my route it was also rife with thick bushes, uneven ground, and thorns the size of my head. I tore my clothes. Got numerous bruises on my knees and elbows. I tripped about a thousands times. It would take minutes just to walk a few feet. The next thing I knew the sun was going down and I was forced to stop and set up camp."

"Ooh..." Warriors leaned forward. "And then something spooky happens?"

"No," said Four. "I slept through the night just fine. I was bothered by no one and nothing."

"Ah."

"The next day I got up, packed my things, and began my trek once again. Now there's a problem. I had only anticipated my trip to be a few hours. Not two days. I ate the last of my food the previous night. By the mid-afternoon I was starving. I was actually wishing to be robbed right then and there, if that only meant I could steal food away from my would-be attackers. But alas, I was alone."

He turned to Wild. "I don't know how you do it."

"Trial and error," said Wild. "If I see something that looks edible, I take a bite. If I don't poop myself violently in the next ten minutes, I take another bite."

"That's horrifying," said Four. "Back to the story... as you can imagine, I was starting to feel a bit desperate. But I didn't see any animals around. At least not one I would catch easily. There was no stream to fish in. No trees for eggs. So I continued on, getting hungrier and more annoyed by the second. And then... that's when I see it. Off in the distance, standing in a small open field... was an orange tree."

"What luck!" Said Wind.

"I know! A single, fully grown orange tree standing right in front of me? Absolute perfect timing. It was about twenty feet tall, had thick, large branches, and it was filled to the _brim_ with delicious-looking, mouth-watering oranges. My stomach growled and I immediately went straight for it... and admittedly ignoring all the obvious warning signs."

"Like what?"

"You're going to think I'm an idiot for not noticing... well first, the tree sat in the middle of a perfectly open circular field. Up to this point I was surrounded by fauna, but this tree sat had no other bush near it. The grass was a bright vibrant green and was perfectly trimmed like a professional gardener had just finished working on it. There were also no animals about. You'd think wild animals would be feasting on these oranges, but there were no birds, no rodents, not even bees. Nor had a single orange fallen from its branches. The green grass was devoid of fruit. The oranges sat up in the tree, perfectly preserved... like a painting."

"Huh," said Legend.

"But like I said... I was hungry. I was desperate. I hadn't come across any men or monsters, so I had no reason to believe something was wrong. I walked across that perfectly green field, went straight for the tree, reached up... and plucked the _biggest_ orange I had ever seen in my life..."

Four mimicked the size of the orange with his hands. "I was so grateful, I even said a little prayer to the gods. I began to peel. The smell of the citrus... the juices of the rind ran down my fingers... I opened the orange like a flower. It looked so good. I didn't hesitate. I took a segment and popped it in my mouth... it was incredible. Firm. Delicious. Overflowing with sweetness. I then bit down on something hard. A seed. No big deal, right? A few annoying seeds were not going to stop me from fully enjoying this orange. Heck, maybe I'll bring the seeds with me and plant them in _my_ garden. So I spat out the seed into my hand. It wasn't a seed.

It was a human molar."

The group groaned in disgust.

"That's when I finally noticed all the strangeness," Four said. "The perfectly cut green grass, the untouched fruit, the randomness of it all... My hand went to my sword, expecting an attack, but nothing came. I was still alone, standing in front of a tree that apparently had _human bones_ in its fruit. My hunger forgotten, I dropped the orange and I ran out of that field as fast as I could. Thanks to that experience, I haven't had an orange since."


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: bodies/corpses, mild body horror

"I got one," said Sky.

Warriors was surprised. "Really? You? Mister Goody-Two-Shoes?"

"Aw, c'mon. That's not fair. I've had my share of strange encounters and experiences."

"Fine, fine. You're right. The floor is yours, oh storyteller."

"Thank you." Sky cleared his throat. "Ah-HUM! Just some background information. Skyloft is a beautiful, amazing place to be and I hope one day I can show you guys its wonders. In all the years I have lived there, I've never known hunger, cold, or unsafe weather. It is truly a goddess-blessed island. That being said... it also has its drawbacks. Space is limited. So are food choices. Since I've come to the surface, I have made it my mission to try so many things. One of the other limits? Cemetery plots. I've never even heard of the word _cemetery_ until I flew beneath the clouds."

Time frowned. "So nobody gets buried in Skyloft?"

"No," said Sky. "We have a choice to either burn our deceased or... release them back to sky."

"Meaning...?"

"We basically drop them over the edge."

Legend snorted, then quickly sobered. "Sorry, sorry, that caught me off-guard."

"I know, I framed it that way. It's actually quite a respectful ceremony. We wrap our dead in a ceremonial cloak. We hold an entire days of festivities to celebrate their life. And as the sun sets over the horizon, we bring them to the edge, say our last goodbyes, and release them to the sky, giving them back to Her Goddess. In truth, it's how I once wished for my ceremony to be."

"I guess when you put it like that, it does sound nice," said Legend. "But you guys were essentially dropping people to the ground below. Were there just like... a pile of bodies collecting on the bottom?"

Sky guiltily shrugged his shoulders. "We didn't know there was a surface below. Remember, none of us had ever gone below the clouds, so we thought there was just... nothing. A month before I became a Hero, before everything happened with Fi and the Master Sword, Zelda's favorite uncle died. He was a good man. For his ceremony he wished to be released back to the goddess, which we honored. After my adventure, Zelda pulled me aside and we talked about what happens to the bodies we released over the years. We had the same morbid thoughts you did, that there was a mass pile of our citizens somewhere. Zelda hated the thought of her uncle stuck in a tree or something. She wanted to go retrieve him and give him a proper burial. I didn't want to expose her to the gory sight of her loved one sprawled out somewhere, so I offered to go."

"I'm surprised," said Hyrule. "You don't exactly have the stomach for such things."

"I know, I know. It was for my Zelda. Wouldn't you guys do the same?"

There was a quick round of agreements though Wind piped in a _She prefers to handle things her own self._

"I took my Loftwing and I left to go find her uncle," Sky continued. "I was apprehensive of what I may find. A pile of bodies? A pile of bones? Or had they been ravaged over the years by wild animals? Every thought was as gruesome as the last and I almost bowed out. I did promise my Zelda I would make an effort. So I pressed on. I got to the spot that was directly below the ceremonial site. And... there was nothing. No bodies. No bones. I'll admit I was a bit... relieved to find nothing. I couldn't just give up after one try though. Perhaps the wind carried them further along than noted. So I searched. And searched. I spent a _week_ looking and found nothing."

"Maybe they fell into a river?" Wild suggested. "Swept away to the sea?"

Sky ran a hand through his hair. "Maybe. It could be a dozen of reasons. Maybe Skyloft's citizens decompose faster. Or highway men stole the bodies- I don't know. I ended up in the original spot where I thought the bodies could be, just in case. I was busy poking and prodding the ground, looking for blood or anything, when suddenly my Loftwing started screaming at me. I turned just in time to see a body falling down from the sky.

I threw myself out of the way, and the body _slammed_ into the ground behind me. I was stunned. Zelda had made decrees we wouldn't do the ceremonies anymore. We would have to find another way to honor our dead, so I assumed someone decided against that. But who died then? Who was this person that nearly squashed me? The body laid only a few feet away from me, wrapped from head to toe in the ceremonial cloak. I took out a knife, intending to cut open the cloak and see who it was. I was already dreading the sight of what laid underneath. They struck the ground quite hard. I knew they were not going to be in the best of conditions.

I kneeled down to the body. I placed the knife against the cloak. I took a moment to steady myself, and I pressed down, cutting into the cloak. And like a souffle that's been taken out of the oven too early, the body suddenly _deflated_ right in front of me! POOF! Gone in a puff of air-!"

Legend snorted again. "Sorry, sorry! Continue!"

"-And I was left kneeling there, holding nothing but rags in my hands. I stood up, shaking and _so_ confused. Was this a trick? Some malicious joke? I couldn't imagine anyone on Skyloft who would do such a thing. Just as I considered flying back up and demand answers, my Loftwing started screaming again. I looked up... and now there were _dozens_ of bodies falling from the sky, like hail. They crashed to the earth one after another. BAM! BAM! BAM! My Loftwing and I ran for it, seeking refuge in the trees.

Once it was over, I chose to stay away and not to investigate, lest I be squished by another body. I eventually flew back up to Skyloft. Everyone was still alive and well. So I returned to my Zelda and I told her... I couldn't find her uncle. She believed me. We ended up just having another small private ceremony for her uncle and she left it at that."


	8. Chapter 8

"So now we have two left," said Warriors. He pointed. "Legend... and the old man."

"There's no need trying to drag this out," said Legend. "I know you want Time to finish off the night. I'm sure he has something up his sleeve."

Time smiled knowingly.

Legend threaded his fingers together, pushed out, giving them an audible crack. Some of the guys grimaced at the sound, the others rolled their eyes at the dramatics. "Just let you guys know... you're going to be pretty upset by my story."

"Why?" Four asked. "Is it gory?"

"Is it boring?" Twilight asked.

"I bet it's not even that scary," said Warriors.

"You're all wrong," said Legend. "It's because it happened two weeks ago."

Everyone was suddenly up in arms, gasping in surprise, glances being thrown around as they tried to think back to any specific moment that could be considered spooky. All the while Legend just sat there, his fingers intertwined, smirking like a cat.

Finally when the hysterics died away, Warriors shoved a finger at Legend's face and demanded, "Talk. Now."

"Alright, alright. Do you guys remember when we had to hole up in that cave?"

There was a round of groans. Two weeks ago they had been walking across the plains when suddenly a huge thunder storm hit. The rain came fast and hard, the wind rushing past so violently they were unable to put up their tents or start a fire. Instead they ran for it, worried their weapons would attract lightening. They managed to find a small abandoned bear cave and took refuge there. Everyone was soaked to the bone. Even after they started a fire and ate warm soup, it was clear it was going to be a long, miserable night.

"My story begins... about a half hour into my watch shift," said Legend. "At this point the rain had let up quite a lot, but it was still going. I was leaning against the cave wall, watching it go, feeling pretty morose by the whole thing. I was still pretty damp from earlier and was itching for the hour to go by quicker so I could go back to sleep. I guess through my hatred of the world I didn't see someone walking up to the cave until they were standing only a few feet away."

"And you didn't raise alarm?" Warriors demanded.

"Let me tell my story," Legend said, getting miffed. "Look, I thought I may have fallen asleep at my post. Because the person standing in front of me? It was a little girl."

A low murmur went through the group, unsure of where this story was going. After backwards men, human goats, and a suicidal doppelganger, a little girl was not exactly a threat. The group leaned in closer, wanting to know.

"There she was," Legend said. "Out there in the rain, soaked to the bone. She looked like a farm girl. She wore a regular work dress, had a stained apron on, and strangely enough, she wore no shoes. Her feet were covered in mud. She was crying, very distressed. I startled when I saw her. _Kid!_ I said. _Come over here and get out of the rain!"_

"But we were out in the middle of nowhere," said Twilight. "We saw no roads, no paved paths, miles away from any town or rest area. Where did she come from?"

"Heck if I know," said Legend. "There wasn't time for questions, cause as soon as I told her to come over, she turned and took off running. I dunno if I scared her. I mean, would _I_ feel comfortable walking into a cave full of strange men? But obviously I couldn't let a lost little kid run off into the rain... so I went after her. I did have a moment of hesitation. Should I wake one of you guys and explain the situation? I didn't want to lose sight of the kid so I said _fuck it_ and ran. I was sure you guys would be fine."

"Thanks," Time said dryly.

"Even with that five second head start, I should've caught up to the girl easily. But she was fast! I have never seen a kid run so quickly. And she had no shoes on! The rain made every step a challenge. I _struggled_ to follow her. I kept slipping and sliding and tripping over my damn self, all the while yelling at her to come back."

"Maybe you just suck at running," Warriors said.

Legend gave him the middle finger. "Anyways... I began to realize how far I was getting from you guys. I didn't want to get lost myself. _Kid!_ I yelled at her. _I'm not going to hurt you! Come back! We're both going to get lost!_ At one point I tripped. My foot slipped on the wet grass and I fell to my hands and knees. By then I was wet, cold, and still suffering from lack of sleep, so I didn't get up as fast as I wanted. I looked up, convinced that I had lost the girl at this point, and there she was. Standing away just far enough to avoid me, yet close enough to think I'd be able to catch up. That's when I realized... she was _waiting_ for me."

Wind frowned. "So you think she was leading you into a trap?"

"No... as Twi pointed out, there were no major roads out there. Why set up a trap on the _possibility_ a group of people may or may not pass by? I've encountered street urchins before, this is not their modus operadi. This was... something else. Once I saw she was trying to lead me somewhere, I stood up, and did nothing. I waited for her to make the first move.

First, she tried the crying bit again. Big blubbery tears, a wretched face, grabbing fistfuls of her apron in obvious distress. I didn't move. And when she saw I was not going to take the bait, she stopped. Wiped at her eyes. And as plain as day, I saw her mouth, _I almost had you._ She then turned and ran off."

"So was it a trap?" Wind asked.

"I made my way back to the cave," said Legend. "Found you guys unharmed. I changed my clothes, woke up the next shift and went to bed."

Warriors waited, and when nothing else came he said, "Is... that it? You ran after a little girl in the rain? That's not scary at all. You got a little wet, so what?"

"If the story ended there, then yes, I would agree with you," said Legend. "But did you guys forget what happened the next morning? The rain had finally stopped and we decided to skip breakfast and get to the next town as soon as possible. As we gathered our things together, Wind pointed out the footprints in the mud in front of the cave."

Legend turned to Wind. "Do you remember what you saw?"

Wind's cheeks turned slightly pink as everyone turned to look at him, surprised by the sudden attention. "I... uh... saw two sets of footprints. The first ones I supposed belong to you..."

Legend nodded.

"And the other... belonging to what looked like a very _large_ hoofed animal."

At this Warriors frowned. He turned to Legend. "So what were you really chasing?"

"Hell if I know," said Legend.


	9. Chapter 9

"You know," said Time. "It's getting pretty late, maybe we should go to bed."

Time didn't mean it but he still leaned back and allowed a sly smile to spread across his face as everyone around him protested in loud volume. The only person who didn't seem so enthused was Twilight, who stared at Time with a frown, his lips tightening.

"Don't you dare do this to me, Old Man," Warriors said. "I know you got something good. Give it to me, give it to me _now_."

Time let the rabble go on for a moment longer, then held up his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright. I do have something. Before I begin... how many of you have heard or experienced the _Lost Woods?"_

A couple of the Heroes put up their hands.

"That's interesting," Time said softly. "Well, for those who don't know... the Lost Woods are... well honestly, I don't know. It holds dark secrets, yet it could be full of wonder and beauty. It's not a place for the casual traveler. Those who enter it are risking their very lives. The woods are endless, twisting and turning so erratically it's nearly impossible to retrace your steps. As Heroes, the woods are forgiving if we become lost. Most often it just spits us out. But for those who are not blessed by the Goddess... their fate is beyond hope."

"So is this place evil?" Warriors asked.

"I wouldn't call it that..." Said Time. "The Lost Woods acts on its own rules, outside of the influences of man or god. I've lived near them for the majority of my childhood and I still cannot tell you what exactly what they are. The last time I chose to enter the Lost Woods was when I was in my early twenties, and this is where my story begins."

Time closed his eye and raised his head up towards the sky. The dancing flames of the fire pit cast strange shadows across his face, distorting his tattoos. Time took a deep breath, and when he lowered his head, he opened _both_ of his eyes.

A shiver swept through the group.

"I had gotten word a child had wandered into the woods," Time began. "I never found out how or why a random child managed to find themselves in there, but that's the situation I was in. I took a sword and a shield, and in I went. There are monsters in the Lost Woods, but they're more annoyances than dangers. The few I encountered were easily defeated. So far nothing too out of place. I kept following the child's trail, looking for broken branches and the such, when suddenly I came upon a clearing. One a lot like this one."

He gestured to their chosen camping site. He then pointed to the middle of the grounds, right where the fire pit sat.

"And there," he said, his voice taking on a grievous tone. "Sitting on an old tree log, was none other than Ganondorf."

Twilight was in the middle of taking a drink of water from his flask when he suddenly choked and spat out. The others paid him no heed, all of them nearly yelling in protest and horror. Sky only frowned, his brow furrowing.

"I froze," Time continued, ignoring everyone's shock. "I thought it was a hallucination. It didn't make sense. I had locked away the Dark Lord in the Sacred Realm. There was no way he should be here. Yet there he was. He was just sitting, hunched over, his elbows on his knees. There was no anger in Ganondorf's eyes, no malice in his body language. If I didn't know who he was, I would've assumed him as a traveler, resting after a long walk. I shook off my shock and drew my sword and shield. I rushed him, hoping to catch him off-guard before he could get a chance to call for his weapon. I shoved my sword into the top of his shoulder, skewing him.

I expected an attack to follow. A burst of magic. But Ganondorf... he didn't even raise his arms to defend. He _let_ me do it. He coughed, a splatter of blood coming out of his mouth, and he said calmly, _You should've gone for my head. Less painful that way._

His nonchalance reaction spooked me. I let go of my weapon and quickly backed away, my shield at the ready. I waited, wondering what he had up his sleeve. As the seconds passed, he continued to do nothing. He just sat there, every breath painful as the last, blood drooling down his front. By now doubt started to set in. I didn't feel like I attacked the Lord of Evil, it felt like I attacked a defenseless old man.

 _Are you going to finish me off?_ Ganondorf asked me after a minute. _I'd rather you do it quick, this is nearly unbearable_.

What is this? I said. A trick? An illusion?

 _All of the above,_ said Ganondorf. I demanded he explain.

He shook his head. _There's no point. You'll just forget it._

That's when I did something you boys should never do: I dropped my shield. I held up my hands to show I was unarmed. Was it foolish? Yes. Could he now easily attack? Yes. But something told me I should listen. I told him I was not going to fight. Let's talk.

Ganondorf was in a lot of pain now, clutching his shoulder, but he did nothing to stem the flow of blood.

 _I've made a terrible mistake,_ he said _. And no matter what I do, no matter how hard I try, I can't undo it. I can't move past it. Even with my death, your death, or Zelda's... I can't stop the loop._

I'm the Hero of Time. When he said that, I knew he'd been manipulating the flow of time. I asked him, what have you done?

 _Not me,_ he said. _Hylia._ _This is all Hylia's doing. I don't know if this is divine punishment or an accident. Because she did this not only to me... but to you as well to herself._

He suddenly slumped forward, and I rushed in to stop him from falling face first into the forest floor. Don't give me that look, I did what I had to. I helped Ganondorf into a sitting position. There wasn't much i could do. My sword strike did its job: he was dying. He had maybe only a few minutes left before he bled out. I said to him, Tell me what you know. If you want to redeem yourself, do it now when you have the chance.

His breathing was terrible and he struggled to keep his eyes opened. Regardless, he was able to tell me this.

_This world... isn't real. We're in a pocket. Beyond time, beyond influence. I think in trying to soften the reincarnation curse... Hylia placed us in here, away from the real Hyrule. Just the three of us. The rest is merely illusions. We've been here for so long, the real world has forgotten us and moved on. Sometimes when my memory returns... I can see through the veil. It's nothing but a wasteland out there. No kingdom. No people. They all left for the stars and the beyond. It's been millions of years since and we're still here... replaying this scene for all eternity._

I was shaking. You're lying, I said to him.

 _Doesn't matter,_ he said. _I've told you this a thousand times. You always forget, just as I will. Goodbye, Link._ And with that, Ganondorf keeled over and stopped moving.

I didn't bother to take my sword out of him. I didn't bother to take my shield. I left him where he laid, and went off to find the little girl. It didn't take long. I found her crying underneath a tree and I took her out of the Lost Woods. But when I tried to go back to locate Ganondorf's body... I couldn't find the spot he was in. I looked for hours and was unable to find the area. It's been years now and I have never entered the Lost Woods since."

Time said nothing else. Everyone stared at him in disbelief.

"Do..." Warriors started. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Do you think it was an illusion? Something in the woods trying to purposely scare you?"

"No idea," Time said.

"Do you believe him?"

Everyone leaned in close.

Time's face cracked. He suddenly burst out laughing, throwing his head back. "Goodness! If you all can see your faces now!" He doubled over, slapping his knee.

"We've been had!" Warriors said, groaning. "You utter bastard! I demand an actual story!"

He was interrupted by Sky. "Actually, I think we should call it a night. It's pretty late and we're losing the Sailor." Next to him, wrapped in Sky's sailcloth and leaning heavily against him, Wind was slowly falling asleep. His head bopped and his eyes fluttered.

There was a round of agreements and shared yawns, forcing Warriors to concede.

"Ah well..." He stood up and stretched. "At least I got a good couple of stories out of it. Night, old man. Thanks for nothing."

"My pleasure," Time said with a shit-eating grin.

The group dispersed, wanting to brush their teeth and change into sleep wear. As punishment, Time offered to take first watch shift. One by one the heroes crawled into their tents, hunkering down for the night. Time sat at the campfire, quietly humming to himself.

After a few minutes when the air was filled with snores, Twilight came out of his tent. He walked over to Time.

"It's too early to switch," said Time.

"I'm not here for that," Twilight said. His hands were shaking. "I need to know... was everything you said true?"

Time didn't answer right away. Instead he reached over to grab another log and tossed it into the fire pit.

"Of course not," said Time, staring up at Twilight with both of his eyes opened. In the crackling light, his ruined eye glowed. "It's just a ghost story."

**Author's Note:**

> I have NOT GIVEN permission for my fics to be hosted on the shady app, _Fanfic Pocket Archive Library_ or any other app/website. I, Tashilover, gain no money from my fanfics


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